Rabies cases still on the rise in South Africa

The number of rabies cases in animals and humans is still on the rise, especially in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

Kevin le Roux, chairperson of the South African Rabies Advisory Group, told Farmer’s Weekly that in Gqeberha and the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality alone, there had been 471 positive samples taken in the past five months.

“The Gqeberha outbreak is unprecedented in South Africa’s rabies history, and samples have overwhelmed the laboratory in Allerton [KwaZulu-Natal],” he said.

“The Eastern Cape outbreak has placed further pressure on the southern coast [of the province]. It is believed that the recent and previously-unheard-of canine rabies in Cape Town and surrounds originates from the Eastern Cape.”

KwaZulu-Natal had also experienced a steady increase over the past three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks affecting progress in fighting the disease, Le Roux said. Here, the Ethekwini Municipality and the King Cetshwayo District Municipality were the hardest hit.

“In KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and the Eastern Cape, 23 human [deaths due to rabies] were reported. However, this is probably just a portion of the deaths. We believe many have gone undetected due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The pandemic had further contributed to the reduction in animal vaccinations, Le Roux added.

“The spread of FMD in South Africa will probably continue to influence rabies as veterinary services will have to devote much of their resources to stop the spread of FMD. Therefore, many rabies awareness campaigns will be affected,” Le Roux said, adding that the effect of this could already be seen in KwaZuluNatal’s disease-management area.

While these mostly urban outbreaks were obvious and disastrous, it was believed that the rural parts of the Eastern Cape had large outbreaks that were poorly surveyed, which had resulted in the spread of rabies to the Western Cape.

“Rural areas across South Africa are neglected due to difficult terrain and [lack of] resources, and need urgent interventions,” Le Roux said.

While livestock made up only about 20% of the total rabies cases reported every year, the numbers were likely far higher, especially in communal areas.

“Farming communities naturally keep higher numbers of dogs, [which] are the main contact point with wildlife cycles of the disease.

“A typical report of a wildlife case of rabies comes from farmers having these animals appear on their farmsteads, which then fight with their dogs,” Le Roux added.

“Vaccination of pets is therefore essential in rural settings, as well as reporting of any unusual deaths among livestock.” – Susan Marais

FW ARCHIVE Due to people in farming communities keeping higher numbers of dogs, rabies is more prevalent in rural areas.